


Screw you and the horse you rode in on.

by Dionysus_is_my_bae



Category: The Owl House (Cartoon)
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Post-Apocalypse, Angst and Humor, Bandits & Outlaws, Bisexual Luz Noceda, Eventual Amity Blight/Luz Noceda, F/F, Slow Burn, This Is Not Going To Go The Way You Think, This Is STUPID, Useless Lesbian Amity Blight, Western
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-23
Updated: 2020-10-18
Packaged: 2021-03-06 14:29:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,557
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26300437
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dionysus_is_my_bae/pseuds/Dionysus_is_my_bae
Summary: Luz is a farmhand just tryna get by in a post-apocalyptic economy.Amity is the new deputy in town trying to hunt down two bandits who've evaded her grasp for years.Property is stolen. Vows are made. And Luz gets a horse.ORWho doesn't want gay post-apocalyptic cowboys? Also when I said slow burn I meant sloooooooow burn
Relationships: Amity Blight/Luz Noceda, Boscha/Willow Park, Emira Blight/Viney, Willow Park/Gus Porter
Comments: 12
Kudos: 46





	1. The cow incident

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Whooooo boy, did someone order post-apocalyptic cowboys? No? Well you clicked on this fic so that's what you're getting.
> 
> Quick note before we start:  
> "This is dialogue"  
> 'These are thoughts'  
> And any italics, bold, or other such thing is just ✨f l a i r✨  
> But you probably know that already

Luz had always loved Bonesborough. Sure the school kids always mocked her on her way to work, and the baker always blamed her for the lack of wheat that month, and the old lady in the shed on the hill called her "the dirty pig girl," but she loved Bonesborough. Bonesborough just didn't seem to love her back.

'Maybe the boiling isles just hates me.' Luz contemplated as she ran to find shelter from the boiling rain. Pellets of scolding acid fell from the sky and Luz wondered briefly what life was like for the old ones. The people who lived before the bombs were launched and the world was destroyed. They were lucky, they got to live without the fear of acid rain or mutated zombie wolves. True, it was a hassle, but it had taken humanity so long to set up some form of normalized civilization that it makes things like the killer mosquitoes and toxic bedbugs worth it.

Luz sunk down against the trunk of an old tree and waited for the rain to stop. She could see the shambles of old civilization; buildings crumbling in on themselves, cars practically melted into the asphalt, and trees that had been dead for centuries. She could also see the farm where she worked most of her days. Her boss, Mr.Irizarry will definitely be pissed off because she wasn't there on time this morning, not to mention the fact she couldn't properly put the cattle away to shelter them from the rain, but she had the sneaking suspicion that they had already evolved to survive the boiling rain.

"Huh, the rain seems to be slowing down." She mumbled. "Maybe if I..." Luz got up and looked out towards the farm. After a little mental calculation, she braced herself and took off in a sprint towards the farm. She winced as the rain pelted her skin, piercing her tattered jacket and a little bit of her shirt. 

"What are you doing, pig girl?!" Yelled a little boy from the window of a nearby house.

"Going to work!" Luz yelled back. She couldn't see the boy's reaction but she could only assume that it was something akin to an eye-roll. She brushed it off as she approached the faded red farmhouse on the house. "Just..a little..farther." She panted as she threw her body through the crack between the two huge barn doors. As soon as the rain was off of her she relaxed against the cracked wooden floors, letting the relief push all thoughts of pain out of her mind.

"There you are, you lazy bum! What're you doing here so late? I literally called the police to go find ya but apparently you showed up right on time to make me look like an idiot in front of the deputy." The sound of Mr. Irizarry's voice boomed from above her.

"I'm sorry sir, I woke up late and I- wait, the Deputy?" Luz looked up to see a young woman around her age dressed in a pristine white shirt, black pants, and combat boots. Golden eyes stared back at her, equal parts confused and unamused.

"Good afternoon, I'm Deputy Blight. I only recently became deputy, so if you haven't heard of me that's probably why." The green haired woman said. Her voice was stern and intimidating, it commanded the room and Luz had no doubt in her mind that this lady was the real deal. 

Luz groaned as she picked herself off the floor, "I'm Luz Noceda, it's a pleasure to meet you." She extended a hand out to Amity, who looked at it for a brief moment but ultimately decided against shaking the latina's hand.

"I'm well aware of who you are, and since you have turned up and you're no longer a missing person report, I shall be taking my leave." She stopped at the threshold, "Have a good day Mr.Irizarry, Miss Noceda." And with that she was gone.

"Sheesh, what crawled up her butt and died?" Luz grumbled, only to receive a swift smack to the back of the head. "OW!"

"Donde esta tu respeto, Mija? She's here to keep idiots like you from getting yourselves killed, so don't go bad mouthing her or she can very well put a bullet through your thick skull." 

"Sorry, Señor." Luz hung her head in shame, to which the pot bellied old man only sighed.

"What happened today, kid? You had me worried sick when you hadn't shown up to work for 4 hours."

"I know, and I'm sorry. I just thought I saw Isabelle wondering the outskirts and went to investigate, but it turns out it was just a spotted mare that wouldn't stop running, and by the time I realized cows don't run that fast I was already lost." Mr.Irizarry stared blankly at her for a couple of minutes before he doubled over laughing. The laugh lines on his face became more prominent and his brown eyes shone with glee.

"Only you would chase a horse thinking it was a cow and get lost in the forest because of it. Oh that's rich, just for that you can get off pile duty for the rest of the day."

"Really?!" Luz stared at him with wide eyes. If there was one job on the whole farm she hated more than dealing with the needleweeds, it was cleaning the cowpens.

"Pff of course not, you have pile duty for the next week for being late AND you're doing extra repairs on the barn."

"Ah geez, old man, it's like you care about those cows more than me or something." Luz chuckled, nudging the stubby man with her elbow.

He pushed her right back and with a playful smile simply replied "I do." And with that Luz got back to work on the farm.


	2. Is Luz socially inept or is it gay panic?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Luz sucks at conversation and Amity loves herself a finely crafted pillar.

The afternoon passed by in a flash and the sun set as quickly as it had risen. For the most part Mr. Irizarry had been lenient with her that day, despite acting like dealing with her was the worst thing he ever had to do. After Luz had finally finished preparing the crops for this season's harvest, cleaning the cowpens, and fixing the holes in the barn, the grumpy old farmer finally let her go. Luz silently thanked whatever gods were out there because her entire body felt like it was on fire. Hopefully a little rest on her little cot at home will be enough to get the ache out of her back and legs, but she suspected that wouldn't be the case.

"Remember to lock up the pens!" Mr. Irizarry called out. "We don't need Isabelle escaping again." 

Luz rolled her eyes at his joke while he snickered in the background. "Got it, Señor, I'll make sure that no horses escape this time." She walked over to the pen, the wood faded and rickety from years of wear and tear. The gate was closed and locked up tight with a chain and padlock. Once Luz was sure that the lock was actually closed and the cows couldn't open the gate with their fat heads, she made her way back inside the farmhouse.

"Everything is all clear, Sir. The cows are all snug in the pen and aren't going anywhere anytime soon." She said as she approached the old man sitting on his rocking chair. It wasn't often that he let himself relax, and in moments like this, Luz could really tell how time had really affected him. Gone was the strong, mostly silent man that would show her the difference between poisonous and non-poisonous mushrooms whenever she had escaped her mother's sight. In his place sat the now tired old man who stared silently out the window at the stars, no doubt lost in his own world, his own thoughts, his own memories. Luz briefly wondered if he made these kinds of comparisons too, the differences between the young her and her now.

"You're thinking too much, kid. I can hear your thoughts from way over here." Luz chuckled, and walked over to the farmer, who had stopped rocking in his chair for who knows how long.

"Sorry about that, it's just been a long day." 

"Tell me about it." He groaned as he sat up from his chair. Luz stepped forward to help him up, but he just waved her off and straightened out his back, resulting in a series of pops and a couple of whispered curses. "Well kid, I'm not gonna keep you here any longer than you have to be. Here's your snails for the day, now get going." He tossed her a small sack filled with coins.

Luz took the coins out of the pouch and counted them all in her hands. Her eyes widened comically as she added it all up in her head. "Sir, this is way more than my usual cut. I can't take this from you!" 

"Nonsense, I pay you for the work you do here, and you worked your ass off today." He said, walking over to the small kitchen in the corner and rummaging through the cupboards.

"But-" Luz protested, but was quickly cut off.

"Look kid, I know you think you don't deserve that cut, but you worked yourself to the bone. You deserve a couple extra snails to spend on yourself for once." He said the last part so softly Luz almost didn't hear it. Tears clouded the young woman's eyes and she rushed forward, drawing him into a tight hug. He went rigid for a split second before he let himself relax into the hug. "Okay okay, I get it kid, I'm the best. Now get outta here before I have to toss ya out myself."

"Alright, old man. I'll see you tomorrow." She said as she let go of him and made her way to the door. She heard him grumble in response, so she took her leave and stepped out into the cold wasteland outside. 

The night air nipped at her skin but she paid it no mind as she slipped her favorite white jacket on. The streets were dead silent as she made her way back into town, everyone was either already asleep or making their way home from the local saloon. She contemplated it for a second, before turning to head inside the bar. Mr. Irizarry _did_ say to spend a little bit of the money on herself for once, and the saloon had some of the best food in town. Right on cue, her stomach let out an embarrassingly loud rumble and she chuckled lightly, hoping no one heard that. Luckily, no one did. 

Luz stepped into the bar, the dim glow of lanterns casting a warm orange light over everything inside. The bar was surprisingly empty, with only 10 or so other patrons inside. Maybe it was too early for the regulars to come out, or maybe it was too late. Luz honestly held no concept of time at this point in the day. 

As she approached the bar stools, a head of emerald green hair stood out from the bunch. Sat at the bar with a glass of some sort of amber liquor was Deputy Blight. She had a look in her eyes like she was a million miles away from here, but in reality she's probably been staring at the same wooden pillar for 15 minutes. Despite her first impression, or maybe because of it, Luz was determined to at least be on speaking terms with the deputy of the town.

The moment she plopped herself in the seat next to Deputy Blight, the woman's golden eyes flickered over. They lingered for a moment before focussing back on the pillar and took a swig from her glass. Sudden awkwardness washed over her as she sat silently next to the cop, not really knowing how to go about starting the conversation. She settled for just blurting the first thing that came to mind.

"So," she started, "cows, amirite?"

The finely dressed woman beside her turned to look at her, brows furrowed in confusion. Luz couldn't tell if she was confused about the fact Luz was talking to her at all or if it was the fact Luz decided to talk to her about _cows_.

'Okay think fast, Luz. Your big stupid mouth got us into this mess, it has to be able to get us out right?' 

"I just mean like- that's why I was so late today and Mr. Irizarry called you in. It's a really funny story actually! I thought I saw a cow that escaped the pen so I chased after it but I couldn't catch up to it, and I thought 'hmm this is a really fast cow.' Little did I know it was actually a horse! Well I mean, I probably should've known because of how fast it was, but you never know when the cows are gonna mutate again and gain super speed or something haha." Luz chuckled nervously. This is not at all what she meant when she told herself to talk her way out. If anything she just made herself look like an idiot in front of the deputy. 

Judging by how lost Deputy Blight looked, Luz could safely say that she had completely failed her mission to befriend the woman. However, when all seemed lost and Luz was about to throw in the towel, a small chuckle made its way into her ears. It was soft and light, and the longer it lasted the louder it got until the green haired cop was doubled over clutching her stomach. A warm fluttering sensation erupted in Luz's own stomach at the sound, but she was pretty sure it was just because she was hungry. 

After calming down a little bit, Deputy Blight looked over at her, face flushed and tears lingering in the corners of her eyes. "You really are something else, huh?"

Luz grinned proudly, "I'm pretty sure Luz Noceda could be a it's own breed of human."

The deputy smiled right back, "Somehow that dosen't surprise me." 

The two sit in amicable silence for a while, Luz ordering food while the woman beside her went back to gulping down her drink. Luz was halfway done with her plate when she noticed the other woman had blown through two whole glasses of what she could only assume was whiskey, and was working on her third.

"Rough day, Officer Blight?" Luz asked, concern etched into her features.

" _Deputy_ Blight," the golden eyed woman corrected as she swayed in her stool, "but you can just call me Amity since I'm not working right now."

"Amity." Luz said, as if trying to test the way the word felt as it rolled off her tongue. Amity looked over at her. She wore a neutral expression but there was something in her eyes Luz couldn't quite place.

"Yes?" There was a lilt in her voice that sent a shiver down the farmhand's spine.

"Are you okay to get home? Not to be rude but I think it's safe to say you're way passed tipsy." The woman in question turned in her stool to glare at Luz, almost falling out of her chair in the process.

"Are you saying that I can't hold my liquor?" She accused.

Luz raised her hands in an effort to placate the now angry woman with the gun on her hip."I'm say that's a lot of liquor for anyone. I just wanna make sure you get home safe."

Amity stared at her strangely, "Why do you care? And why should I trust you? For all I know this could be your ploy to take me home drunk and then take me out while I sleep! Well I'm not falling for it, buster." She glared and hopped off the bar stool. Unfortunately, her legs and gravity seemed to abandon her at that moment as she started to fall the second she put one foot in front of the other. Amity shut her eyes tight, expecting the hard wooden floor to meet her face, but the impact never came. 

"Like I was saying, you're in no condition to be walking home." Luz said softly, her arms around the officer's waist and back.

"I can walk just fine, thank yo- eep!" Amity started to protest, but cut herself off as strong arms hoisted her into the air. Instinctively, she threw her hands around the tanned girls neck.

Luz called to the bartender to put both Amity's order and her own on her tab, receiving a grunt in response from the burly man. Readjusting her grip on the girl, Luz shot her a grin. "You ready to go?" Amity just nodded, and they began their journey to the cop's house. It wasn't all that far from the saloon but it took a little longer since Luz had to carry the half asleep woman the whole way.

"It's just up ahead." Amity said, sleepily nuzzling into Luz's neck. The farmer tried her best to fight off the blush that crept up her neck, but to no avail.

'It's fine. I'm probably tired, that's it! It's definitely not because her breath on my neck feels incredible, or because her body is literally so warm I think she might have a fever. Wait. Does she have a fever? Can you get those from whiskey?' Luz's thoughts spun out of control, and before she knew it they were standing in front of a small wooden house. It was surprisingly sturdy looking and well put together in comparison to the other houses around. 

Luz gently placed the girl down in front of her doorstep and Amity took out a key and fiddled with the lock for a second before getting it open. "Well I guess this is good night, Amity. I'll catch you later." Luz turned on her heel and moved to leave when Amity grabbed her wrist.

"Please stay." Amity said so softly that Luz thought she made it up, but the look on her face was unmistakable. She looked so vulnerable, and Luz felt her heartrate spike. 

'Gods have mercy, this woman will be the death of me.'

"Okay." Luz said, stepping inside and locking the door up for the night.


	3. May the hunt begin

The first thing that Luz noticed when she woke up was how warm she felt. It wasn't the normal cold breeze she was used to in the morning. Everything was pleasant and soft, and she was really really reluctant to open her eyes. 

The second thing to dawn on her was that this wasn't her room. At all. The walls and floors were made out of wood, not a single piece of clothes littered the floor, and everything was just tidier.

"Shit." Luz muttered to herself as she moved to sit up. She felt something slide off her body and turned to find none other than Amity Blight asleep next to her, her hand stretched out to where Luz was laying just a second ago. "Double shit."

Luz sat there staring out the window for the better half of five minutes trying to figure out what happened last night. Luckily, the fact they were both clothed ruled out the possibility that anything more than PG-13 happened last night. Slowly, the tanned girl extracted herself from the bed, immediately missing the warmth that it offered. Luz looked around the house for anything that she may have dropped last night. Finding only her jacket on the couch in the living room, she quickly put it on and made her way to the door. She opened the door slowly so that it wouldn't creak, and stepped out. If anyone told you that Luz stopped in the doorway to look back at Amity's sleeping form on the bed and stared for just a moment too long, they're clearly lying. 

The town was already bustling when Luz stepped foot into the rundown plaza that acted as town square. There were booths lined up against the walls of decrepit buildings, their merchants called out to travelers and townsfolk alike trying to sell their wares as best they could. Luz always admired the tenacity that merchants seemed to have, she was sure that if she even tried to attempt a job like that she'd end up getting swindled by her own customers more often than not.

Speaking of jobs, Luz was already late for hers. Panic set in as she realized this was her second day late. Mr. Irizarry just might kill her if she keeps this streak going. She was just about to dash off towards the farm when she realized she hadn't gone home at all yesterday and she was still in the same dirty clothes. Granted most people couldn't wash their clothes or even owned a second outfit to put on, Luz figured she was in okay shape, but Mr.Irizarry would know something was up. That man was like a hound dog when it came to Luz, no matter what she did he'd always be able to sniff out whatever secrets she was hiding.

'Maybe I'm just shit at keeping secrets.' Luz sighs, "Well I'm already late, I might as well go home and change." She walks down the dirt road silently. A couple people call out to her, mostly merchants and snotty school kids, but a couple apologetic mother's greet her too. The walk back to her house wasn't that long, all things considered, and after a short stop at a stall to buy some bread and a couple apples, she's in front of her house. Well, “the house” is giving it a lot of credit, it was more like a shack. It was made of worn out wood and the door was partly falling off the hinges, but it was sturdy enough to withstand Luz as a child so it was sturdy enough to withstand pretty much anything. 

A familiar feeling of guilt settles in Luz's chest as she pushes the door open and for the first time all morning she regrets staying over at Amity's house. The house is completely dark save for a lantern in the living room that Luz knows she didn't leave on. The guilt and panic come back with a vengeance as Luz rushes towards the bedroom in the back of the house. Her heart was pounding in her ears as she swung the door open and peers inside. The bedroom was far more lit up than the rest of the house as the window took up most of the wall.

"Mami?" Luz called softly, inching closer to the bed in the corner of the room. The other occupant of the room turned over to look at her. Luz frowned at the sight of the tired woman, the bags under her eyes were deeper than usual and the worry lines on her face weren't doing her much justice. "Are you okay?" Luz said, inching closer to the bed.

"Where were you last night, mija?" The sickly woman. "I was already worried when Don Irizarry came around here to find you yesterday, even though you had already left for work esa mañana, but then you never came home and no one told me anything. I thought something bad had happened to you."

Luz's heart broke a little when she heard the hurt in her mother's voice. "I'm sorry mami. I didn't mean to stay out so late, there was this whole thing with a cow, well it wasn't a cow it was a horse, but I thought it was a cow. Anyway, that doesn't matter! I ended up staying at a friends house and I accidentally slept in. I'm so so sorry to worry you, mami."

Camila stared at Luz with a soft yet tired smile, "It's okay, mija, I'm just glad you're alright."

Luz smiled back and placed the bag of food down on the bed, "I know you probably haven't eaten anything today so I stopped by the stalls this morning. Look, fresh apples!" She exclaimed, pulling out a shiny red apple from the sack. Camila's eyes widened in disbelief.

"Luz, that must have cost you an arm and a leg!" The eldest Noceda scolded. Her daughter merely scratched the back of her head and chuckled. Camila narrowed her eyes at the girl by the side of her bed, "How much did you pay for these?"

"Uh well, the merchant gave me a deal so it really wasn't all that much."

"Cuanto era, Luz?" The woman tried again, her voice a little more stern than before. 

Luz sighed and hung her head, "8 snails." Camila stared slack-jawed at her daughter, but before she had the chance to scold her more, Luz interrupted. "But Don Irizarry gave me some extra, so don't worry I still have enough to get your medicine. I just thought you might enjoy a meal that wasn't old pre-war food and stale bread."

The older woman placed a hand on Luz's shoulder, "I appreciate the thought, honey, but when was the last time you got anything for yourself?"

"Last night!" Luz puffed her chest up proudly, "I got myself a plate of food at the tavern."

Camila chuckled, "That's great, love, but I meant something other than food. Something more permanent, like clothes, or shoes, or an actual sabana."

"There is nothing wrong with Señor Sabana!"

"Señor Sabana is literally a tattered rag at this point." Camila deadpanned.

"A rag with feelings!" Luz exclaimed. "Besides, I do fine at night okay? I have my jacket if I get cold, and it's usually not that bad in the living room anyway."

Her mother shook her head, realizing this argument was going nowhere. She picked up the sack with the apples and grabbed one out, "As long as you're okay, mija. Now," she took a bite, "tell me all about this cow incident."

\-------

By the time Luz had finished her story, it was already well into the afternoon. She rushed down the streets, side-stepping travelers and other townsfolk. As she came up to the farm house, she spotted a familiar face and groaned. 

"Don, you really need to stop calling the cops." Luz said, coming to a stop next to a now fully uniformed Amity. She looked over at the woman and smiled gently, the scene from this morning still fresh in the latina's mind. Amity's stern expression softened for a second when she looked over at Luz, only for it to return as soon as Mr. Irizarry walked out.

"First off, I'm not that old, cut it out with all that "Don" business. Second of all, I love ya kid but I'm not gonna call the cops twice in one week just because you went missing." He rolled his eyes.

"Okay then what happened?" She asked, leaning against a worn down wood pillar.

"It appears some of your cattle has gone missing." A new voice emerged from the house. Luz turned to see a tall, slender woman with jet black hair and piercing blue eyes. She was dressed in a startlingly white duster and brown vest, and attached to the duster was a shiny gold star.

"S-sherriff Clawthorn, what are you doing here?" The farmhand asked, immediately intimidated by the woman in front of her. The way those eyes snapped onto her made her want to crawl into a hole and stop existing, but she pushed onward, "Wait the cows went missing? How?"

"That's what we're here to figure out." Amity spoke up. "Best bet though is that someone left the gate open and they got out or they were taken by run of the mill cattle rustlers." Luz noted the unreadable expression that flashed across Lilith's face before the usual stoicism returned.

"I told you to lock up that gate, Luz! Do you know how much those cows are worth?" Mr. Irizarry scowled, angrilly pacing back and forth on the porch.

"You heard Amity, it could've been cattle rustlers too! They sure as hell would know how much your stinking cows are worth." Luz grumbled. The stubby old man snapped his head over to glare at her, and she glared right back. Their gazes remained locked in their heated battle for a while before Lilith interviend, clearing her throat to draw the duo's attention back to her. 

"We can't rule anything out as of right now, so I'm going to have to ask you both some questions." Luz and Mr. Irizarry shared a nervous glance before nodding at the sheriff. The questions started out pretty basic: What their names were, where they lived, what their jobs were on the farm. It was all going great until Lilith asked, "Where were you last night?" Both Amity and Luz flushed and shared a glance. Her face felt like it was on fire as she told the sheriff that she was at the tavern and then went home. Luz could swear that her blue eyes could see into her soul, but the older woman's eyes only bore through her for a couple minutes before she turned to ask Mr. Irizarry the same question. 

Luz let out a sigh of relief as the pressure was taken off of her. She spared a quick glance towards Amity, who merely stood there looking more composed than she did a minute ago.

'she probably doesn't think the whole bed thing was a big deal, you're freaking out over nothing. I'm sure in a couple days I'll forget it ever happened.' The thought of forgetting what she saw that morning made her inexplicably sad, but she pushed that thought away and tried her best to focus on the matter at hand. In the time Luz was zoned out, some agreement must've been formed because when she tuned back into the conversation all she heard was "-right, Luz?"

"Uh what?" The tan girl shifted her eyes between the three nervously. 

Mr. Irizarry shook his head with a fond smile, "I said, you wouldn't mind taking deputy Blight out to the pens where the cows were taken, right?"

Luz could feel her pulse increase once the words finally registered in her head. She could only manage to nod dumbly, signalling the deputy to follow her. Luz was acutely aware of Amity's presence behind her, but she was steadily getting herself under control. Soon enough, they had reached the pens that lay a couple yards from the backdoor of the farmhouse. Beyond that were the fields of wheat, barley, and other grains. The sight of the empty pen, made Luz stop for a second. Every single cow was gone. All that was left in their place were the hoof tracks. 

"Well at least you know what direction they went." Amity said, and Luz was unsure if it was meant to be a serious statement or the green haired woman's attempt at a joke, but either way it settled her nerves just a bit. They got closer to the pen, and Amity immediately went to check the chain and lock. "Well the lock isn't broken so either someone is a really good lockpick or you didn't close the lock right last night."

Luz groaned and dragged her hands down her face, "But I know I closed that last night! I even tugged on it to make sure the cows couldn't get out."

Amity stood from her position by the gate and made her way back towards the front of the farmhouse. "Well we have to go take the new information to sherriff Clawthorn before we can really know anything." The duo silently made their way back. They found Mr. Irizarry and the sheriff having a very serious conversation on the couch if their facial expressions were anything to go off of. 

The farmer's eyes flickered over to the two girls and settled on Luz before turning to look at Amity, "Give it to me straight, cop, did she lose my cows?"

Amity grimaced, "I don't really know, sir. The cattle rustlers may be good at picking locks."

"So the chain and lock weren't broken?" Lilith inquired.

"No ma'am. Everything seems to be intact." Luz wanted to curl up into a ball and cry at this point. She couldn't believe that she was being accused of losing the damn cows. The anger from the false accusation was overshadowed by the helplessness she felt knowing that no matter what she said, she had no evidence to back up her claims and the evidence against her was fairly high. 

Suddenly, there was a hand on her shoulder. It was warm and its touch barely ghosted her skin, but it was there nonetheless. She leaned into the touch, relaxing for the first time since the news of the missing cows was brought to her attention.

"Okay," Lilith's voice broke through the heavy silence that lingered in the room, "Seeing as this seems less like a crime was committed and more like a mistake was made, how do you want to go about this Mr. Irizarry?"

'Oh god, he's going to fire me. Or fire at me! Wait, would he actually kill me over cows? That's a stupid question, of course he would kill me over cows. They're literally his livelihood! Of all the ways I thought I would die, being murdered over cows was, like, number 40 on that list!' 

The man in question rubbed his temples. The waves of frustration emanating from the man did nothing to quell Luz's anxiety. "Well, since we don't have any suspects or leads and the only person we can hold responsible is Luz, I say that only suitable punishment," He pauses to look into the frightened woman's eyes, "is to have her find the cows and bring them back."

Everyone nods in agreement, but Luz stands there shocked staring at her boss, "Wait that's it?" 

"What do you mean 'That's it?'? What else did you expect me to do?"

Luz shrugged, "I don't know, kill me?"

There was another pause, this time it was Amity who broke the silence. "Luz, that has got to be the dumbest thing I've ever heard in my entire life."

"You get a lot of those moments with her." The burly man quipped.

Luz just rolled her eyes, "Anyway, how am I supposed to go about chasing down these cows?"

"I'll provide you with a horse and then you get to tracking. Simple." Mr. Irizarry's plan wasn't exactly what Luz meant but she wasn't gonna complain. The quicker this was done the quicker she could get back to her mom.

'Oh shit, my mom!'

"Wait! Who's going to take care of my mom while I'm gone?" She asked, looking frantically at the three other people.

Mr. Irizarry stood from the couch, and made his way over to Luz. "I'll take care of Camila while you're away. It's only fair." He said, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Don, I couldn't ask that of you. You're gonna have your hands full here at the farm." He chuckled and clapped her shoulder.

"Nonsense! I'm just as healthy as ever, taking care of the farm and your mother will be no problem at all."

The two squabble back and for over whether or not the man was fit to take care of anyone in his condition. Before it could get too heated, the deputy broke the argument up. "Listen, if it'll be that much of a problem, why don't I assist your mother in your absence? This way your mother isn't unattended, and Mr. Irizarry can focus more on his farm work." The latinos looked at each other, silently debating whether or not to let this stranger take on this responsibility.

The older man nodded, "Sounds okay to me." Luz merely nodded in agreement.

"Great." Amity grinned, "Then may the hunt begin."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spanish translation, because I realized I forgot to include it in the update
> 
> Esa mañana: that morning  
> Cuanto era: how much was it  
> Saban: blanket


	4. Off to the races!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Camila lowkey ships Lumity and the author is still dragging out this departure :)

If Luz said that the walk with Amity back to her house had been anything other than awkward, she would be lying. After Lilith had excused herself to go take care of some business with Mayor Belos, the two girls were left alone while Mr. Irizarry got the horse he promised Luz. 

It had actually been Amity's idea to go to the house. Mostly because she had no idea where Luz lived, and she would need to know so she could take care of the eldest Noceda.

Still, even though it was Amity's idea, Luz couldn't help but feel nervous as they walked down the relatively empty dirt roads. Luz had already seen the green haired woman's house and it far outclassed her own. The thought that Amity would find her house sloppy and rundown shot a hot burst of anxiety through her chest.

Unfortunately, there wasn't a single thing she could do to avoid it. Amity would see her house, see how broken and shabby it is, and then immediately take back her offer to watch her mom because she refused to be seen in a place so decrepit. 

'Woah woah woah, hold on. Those are a lot of assumptions. Yeah, my house is a little run down, and Amity seems like a classy lady, but that doesn't mean she'll automatically hate it. Even if she did, she would probably be uncomfortably polite about it.' Luz reasoned to herself. It helped a little but didn't soothe all the doubt in her mind. The fact that the house was just up ahead didn't help either. 

"-Luz?" Amity said, snapping the latina out of her panic induced downward spiral. Luz looked over to the shorter woman and saw the subtle concern on her face.

"Yeah?" She said after her brain finally registered that Amity had asked her a question.

"I asked if you were okay? You seem uncharacteristically quiet." The deputy pointed out.

Luz gasped dramatically, "Are you calling me a loudmouth, Officer Blight?!"

"Deputy Blight." Amity glared, "And yes. You're a very loud person from what I've gathered, so I imagine you don't spend a lot of time in silence." 

"You wound me, Amity." Luz sighs and leans against the shorter girl, making her stumble a little bit. After receiving what can only be referred to as a death glare, Luz backed off and gave the cop some space. "Honestly though, I'm fine. I'm just a little nervous because I'm going to be leaving the town for the first time, and without my mother on top of it. It's just a lot."

It wasn't technically a lie, it still weighed heavily on her shoulders, but she couldn't tell Amity that the thing bothering her was how the pale girl in question would like her house. 

Luckily, the woman in question didn't seem to find anything wrong with the answer. Instead she offered the farmhand a soft smile and said, "I'm sure you'll be okay, Luz. The wastelands might be deadly, but they're not impossible to navigate. Schools basically teach kids all about how to survive up here."

Towards the end of her sentence, the cop looked around the shoddy, beat up houses of the past and saw children in ragged clothes playing around without a care in the world. Amity's smile widened as a little girl stopped playing with two boys, probably her brothers, to wave at her. She gave a little wave back, watching as that little girl's face lit up with excitement and she immediately went to tell her brothers what happened. 

Luz watched the scene play out with a smile of her own. No matter how hard Amity tried to sell the "big bad cop" persona, she was a genuinely nice person. Even though she had only gotten a few glimpses into that side of Amity, Luz knew automatically it was going to become one of her favorite things in the world. 

By the time the house came up, Luz was a lot more relaxed than she was at the beginning of this walk. There was some residual nervousness, but if Amity had any problems with the house's appearance, she didn't say anything. Luz stepped forward and unlocked the door, careful not to jostle the already broken hinges.

Unlike this morning, the lantern in the house was off and the living room was completely dark. Luz turned the light on and started to show Amity around the small house, pointing out areas where she would need to be wary of creaky floorboards and other hazards. As they went along, Luz steadily got together what she would need for the trip and put it into an old messenger bag that was hardly used anymore.

Once they made it to the room at the back of the house, Luz suddenly got a lot more serious. "This is my mother's room. It's really important that when you get here you knock just loud enough that if she's awake, she'll know you're here but just soft enough that if she's asleep you can check on her while she's resting. She needs all the rest she can get, but that woman is so stubborn sometimes. I wonder if she stays up and walks around just to mess with me." She sighs a little and then knocks on the door.

There's a moment of silence after Luz knocks where she thinks to herself that her mother is probably asleep, but that theory is quickly debunked when Camilla tells them to enter a second later.

"Buenos días, mami, how're you feeling?" Luz inquires, inching closer to the bed.

Camila rolls her eyes playfully, "I'm fine doing, cariño, don't worry." Her eyes flicker to Amity and she stops for a second before her warm smile doubles in size. "Oh, parece que tenemos un visitante."

"Oh yeah. Mom, this is my friend Amity. She'll be taking care of you while I'm out of town taking care of business." She says, casually draping her arm around the deputy's shoulders.

Amity looks like she wants to say something about the action, but she merely shakes her head and says "It's a pleasure to meet you, ma'am."

"It's a pleasure to meet you too." Camila says absentmindedly, turning her attention back to Luz. "Que trabajo es este? What business could you possibly have outside of Bonesborough?"

"I have to pick up some stuff for Don Irizarry." Luz shrugged.

Camila nods slowly, "And when do you leave?"

The question made Luz flinch, guilt weighing heavily on her chest as she says "This afternoon." Her mother stares at her bewildered and the pang of guilt hurts just a little bit more. "But I'll be back soon! You can't get rid of me that easily." 

There's a long pause, and as the anxiety gnaws at the back of her mind Luz wonders if this really is the best idea. She has no clue when she'll be back, and though the deputy hasn't proved herself to be anything other than helpful, she's not sure if she completely trusts Amity. 

Finally Camila sighs out an "Okay" and Luz relaxes a little. They spend the next couple of minutes getting Amity more acquainted with the family. Luckily the matriarch of the house seems to like Amity. 

'Mom likes her maybe a little too much.' Luz thinks, suddenly suspicious of whatever her mother has planned. She keeps her thought to herself, though, as the duo seated across from her pleasantly converse about something she was too distracted to hear.

The sun hangs low in the sky and Luz curses internally. "I'm sorry to cut this short, Mami, but I have to get going soon if I want to get anywhere soon."

Her mother gives her a small smile, "I understand, mi amor. Thank you for stopping by and letting me know before you left."

"Of course. I wouldn't just leave without saying anything." The younger woman says, a little offended that her mother would even consider her doing something like that.

Camila grabs her hand and draws her into a hug, "Yo sé, mi reina. I still appreciate the thought, though." 

"I'll be back before you know it, Ma." Luz says resolutely. The mother chuckles a little and releases her hold on her daughter.

"You better." Shifting her attention from Luz to Amity, she continues "Thank you for agreeing to this, by the way. I know you must be busy."

Amity stands a little taller, puffing her chest out slightly. She looks a little like the roosters that sit outside and the thought makes Luz chuckle a bit, causing the deputy to shoot her a quick glare (not at all intimidating when she's still being mentally compared to a chicken, mind you) and continue to address the oldest woman in the room, "It's no trouble at all, ma'am. It's my duty to serve the people of this town in any way I can."

Camila smiled at the two women before her, "Alright, well you better get going now before the sun goes down any further. Come here, dame un abrazo." Luz immediately swoops down to hug her mother, trying to commit the feeling to memory, despite the fact she'd grown up with these hugs all her life. They might be the last hugs she gets for a while. Luz ignores the sting of tears in her eyes and pulls herself away.

Silently, Amity places her hand on Luz's shoulder. The taller woman turned around and shot the deputy a weak smile of appreciation before wiping the tears from her eyes. "Well, I guess I'm off. Wish me luck, Ma!"

"Good luck, sweetie." Camila said, equally as choked up as her daughter.

The two women departed after that, neither speaking a word. It wasn't the same silence that lingered between them on their walk to the house, no this was filled with the dull ache of longing that seemed to loom over Luz since the moment they stepped out of the house. The farmer could tell that Amity wanted to say something, probably an attempt to console her, but in the end neither of them said anything as they made their way back to the farm house. 

If Mr. Irizarry noticed the shift in behavior when she arrived, he didn't say anything. Instead he merely ushered the duo towards the area where the cow pens were located. 

"Welp, here he is. Our finest caballo for your trip." He gestured towards the pen which held a tall grey stallion with white and black spots littered around his body. He was a skinny looking fellow, but the outline of muscle was clearly through his coat. Most impressively, his main was long and tamed, not a single hair was out of place.

"Woah," Luz gasped, failing to keep the wonder out of her voice, "when did we get this dude?"

"We've always had him." Don said simply, stroking the horse's back right above the leather saddle that was strapped down. The stallion welcomed the touch, letting out a content huff and pushing into the farmer's firm hand. "I think you too will get along great. His name is Rayo." At this, the horse acknowledged the two girls for the first time since they got back to the farm.

Luz locked eyes with her would-be steed. His deep brown eyes caught her own and for a second there was the shine of understanding in them. The Latina walked forward slowly, as to not scare him off. 

As Luz steadily approached the horse, Amity and the Don sat back and watched with amused smiles. Amity in particular was entranced by the connection forming right in front of her eyes. It reminded her of when she met her own steed, Otabin, as a child.

"Hey guys, look!" Luz called out. "I'm touching a horse!" Her jovial voice filled the air and the two by the fence saw that she was, in fact, touching the horse. 

"That's great Luz, but you better get on that horse and get a move on. You're burning daylight here!" The impatience in Mr. Irizarry's voice would've been more concerning if it weren't for the grin on his face. 

"Uh, that's all well and good but, well, I just realized I don't really know how to ride a horse." Luz's voice tapered off towards the end of the sentence making the last part nearly inaudible. 

"Well no better way to find out then to get on it and try it out!" The older man smiled mischievously at her, and Luz sighed nervously, knowing that there was no way to get through to him now. 

"I don't think this is-" Amity started to protest but was quickly shushed by the older man.

"It's better if she learns these things on her own. It builds character." He said with a determined glint in his eyes.

Timidly, Luz climbed onto Rayo's back, almost slipping off the saddle a couple of times. The stallion shifted, getting used to the weight of his rider, and then stilling. "Okay, now what?" 

"Grab the reins and then give it a go!" Following Don Irizarry's instructions, the farmhand grabbed ahold of the reigns and whipped them causing the horse to take off like a rocket around the pen. A scream tore it's way up from the girl's throat.

"How do I make it stop?!?" Wind whipped at her ears as the stallion ran in tight circles around the pen. It was at this moment that she realized she should probably think before listening to the Don.

"Pull on the reins!" Amity shouted, pulling herself up to sit on the rickety old fence. 

"But what if he goes faster?!" Luz yelled back, clinging to Rayo's neck for dear life.

"Just trust me!" Just then the horse, seemingly bored of the makeshift circuit, jumps the fence and into the farmland. "Pull on the damn reigns, Luz!"

Screwing her eyes tight, she grabs hold of the reins for a second time and pulls hard, digging her heels into the steeds side. The horse skids to a stop so suddenly Luz was almost ejected off of him. 

With shaky legs and frazzled hair, Luz unsteadily got off of Rayo. Don Irizarry was already rushing over to grab hold of the stallion while Amity went to check on his rider.

"Hey, are you alright?" She said, gently placing a hand on Luz's shoulder. Luz smiled back at her in response to the question. At least, she would've if the wild ride hadn't wrecked havoc on her stomach. She rushed to the nearest needle bush and tried no to throw up her non-existent lunch. She felt a hand run up and down her back as Amity murmured assuring words into her ears. Luz had to admit, something about the way the deputy muttered "you're going to be okay" for the 7th time in a row really made her start to believe it.

It took a second to regain her composure, but once up she glared directly at the old man stroking the offending horse's mane. He at least had the decency to look ashamed, "Perdóname, Luz. That was completely on me. You don't have to get back on Rayo, I shouldn't have let you up there in the first place."

"No no it's fine, I just wish I actually knew how to ride him. The sun is going down and I haven't even left yet!"

"Well," Amity piped up from beside her, "I could teach you the basics if you want."

"You'd teach me how to ride?" She was genuinely touched by the gesture. It shouldn't surprise her since she's seen what a good person the deputy actually is, but it was still unexpected.

Amity nodded, "Sure. I learned as a kid with my siblings, so I still kinda remember the first things we were taught." The cop looked back at Luz with a wry smile. "Hope you don't mind being in the baby class, Noceda."

Luz gasped in mock offense, "Oh you just wait and see, Blight, I'll be the quickest learner you ever met." 

"You better be." Amity retorted, catching Luz's gaze and responding with steely eyed glare of her own. Solid gold met sturdy oak as the two glared at each other for the better part of a minute before they heard Mr. Irizarry clearing his throat from in front of them.

"Can you two stop flirting and actually get to learning. There's only a couple hours before nightfall and at this point you'll have to postpone until tomorrow morning." Luz's face immediately erupted into a fiery blush that spanned from her ears to her shoulders. A quick glance over at Amity showed the girl looked pretty unaffected, so Luz figured she was overreacting. As her brain finally comprehended the last part of his statement, she realized he was right. She would have to wait till tomorrow morning to get on the trail.

"Ugh time sucks, why can't it be day all the time." Luz groaned stalking over to the stallion in her bosses control. "And you mister, you need to chill. I get it, you're fast, you wanna flex, that's all good. But for real, chill out." She lightly scolded while cupping the horse's face. He was surprisingly calm in the position, pushing forward to press his forehead against the human's cheek. 

Chuckling, Luz turned back to Amity. "Well he seems on board. Ready to teach me how to ride this guy."

"You really need to work on your phrasing of things." The cop muttered, causing the old man beside her to snort loudly as he struggled not to laugh. "Yeah, let's get started."

Amity started out slow, telling Luz to get onto the saddle while she walked Rayo around by his reign. It was meant to get her used to the feeling of riding a horse. After that first obstacle was down, Amity started teaching her the basics of getting him to speed up and slow down. The lessons lasted well into the night, at some point Irizarry brought out a lantern so they weren't completely plunged into darkness. Once the two girls were content with their progress, they returned Rayo to the shed/stable (Luz had been especially pissed when she found out the shed she was never allowed into but always made to fix was the place where the farmer kept his cool horse.)

"So I guess this is good night then?" Amity asked. The duo stood on the porch, bathed in the gentle orange glow coming from inside the farmhouse. 

"I guess. I kinda have to leave tomorrow, and unless you're gonna send me off, this is probably goodbye for a while." Luz responded sullenly, the thought of saying goodbye to Amity, even for a little bit, really stung. She was the first friend she had in this town in a long long time, and she really enjoyed her company. Even if she was a little stoic.

"Yeah..." Amity wasn't looking too thrilled about the situation either. She didn't want to say goodbye to Luz so quickly. Despite her recklessness and slightly scatterbrained tendencies, Amity found the other girl endearing in her own way.

"Hey wait! I have an idea." Luz exclaimed suddenly. Amity raised an eyebrow and Luz took that as a signal to continue. "Well I kinda told my mom I would be leaving tonight, and it would be awkward to just walk back into the house and be like 'hey mom, I was totally wrong and this while heartfelt goodbye was for nothing' so what if maybe, if you don't mind, I stayed at your place for the night." 

Amity stared blankly for a couple seconds, letting the words catch up to her brain. "You..want to stay...at my house?" With every other word her face felt hotter and hotter. The cop was sure her face looked like a tomato by the end of the sentence, and she silently thanked the gods that it was dark outside. 

"If you're not comfortable with it, that's fine. I just don't wanna say goodbye just yet." Luz's voice was much more nervous than usual. Unbeknownst to the deputy, Luz's face was just as red as her own. 

"Oh." Amity said so softly it was almost a whisper. "Yeah." She tried to say but the pitch was too high. She cleared her throat and tried again "I mean, yeah. You can stay over if you want to. I mean you do want to because you asked me first. Unless you were joking. In which case, I mean, you can still stay over, but if you were joking then you probably don't want to stay over. You do want to stay over, right?" Internally, she was beating herself up over the rambling question, already deciding that Luz was probably joking and definitely wasn't going to spend the night with her.

The sound of Luz laughing brought her out of her own head. It was a clear, boisterous sound that seemed to echo through the night. "Of course I want to spend the night, Amity."

"Cool cool, we should get going then." She said leading the way back to her place while her heart pounded melodically in her head. Luz wasn't far behind, her longer legs gave her that advantage. The two made their way back to the Blight's house, both vaguely aware they were heading back to the house to spend the night together for the second time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hopefully y'all like this crack fic. If I misspelled anything please lemme know, I crammed a whole hell of a lot into one chapter. 
> 
> More spanish translation:
> 
> Parece que tenemos un visitante: Looks like we have a visitor.
> 
> Que trabajo es este?: What job is this?
> 
> Yo sé: I know
> 
> Dame un abrazo: Give me hug
> 
> Caballo: horse


End file.
